I.

ODE ON A JAR OF PICKLES

A SWEET, acidulous, down-reaching thrill

Pervades my sense. I seem to see or hear

The lushy garden-grounds of Greenwich Hill

In autumn, where the crispy leaves are sere;

And odors haunt me of remotest spice

From the Levant or musky-aired Cathay,

Or from the saffron-fields of Jericho,

Where everything is nice.

The more I sniff, the more I swoon away,

And what else mortal palate craves, forego.